The Boy Who Died
by MillieVaNillie
Summary: Sirius lives!Original character Marley gets sent back to Hogwarts for a rest after her mother died. She's relieved to be away from the ministrations of Malfoy senior and junior, but stressed about the discovery of who her father is. Lots of action going o
1. Back To the Hogwarts Express

I don't own Harry Potter or anyone else J.K. Rowling invented, nor do I wish to...with the exception of Snape! Read and review as you like and I'll try to actually finish this!

The Boy Who Died

Back to the Hogwarts Express

"_He doesn't know. I never told him. I could have, and he would have married me and loved you. But he didn't really love me. It wasn't that sort of relationship. We were friends, and nothing more. I don't think he could have loved any girl. His heart belonged to James._

_"I know everyone thinks he as good as killed them. And the papers say he killed Pettigrew and those muggles too. But it's not true. I know it's not. Don't ask me how, I just know. Women's intuition. You understand._

_"I'm sorry for lying to you all these years. It was wrong of me to tell you your father was some heartless muggle. You're pureblood. You're powerful. I'm sorry you'll never know each other, and I'm sorry I'll never see him or you again. I love you."_

Marley shook her head viciously. She told herself to stop thinking about the subject; about her mother's death. It was too painful. She had work to do, or so she thought. Perhaps this was just the Ministry's way of giving her some time off; getting her moping self away from the office. She'd become so depressed that her co-workers could no longer stand to be around her.

_Why shouldn't I be depressed?_ Marley thought bitterly. _Only three years after graduating from school, my mother dies and I find out my bloody father is an accused murderer. Mother says he didn't do it, but I don't know what the hell to believe. It's not like I can just talk about this to someone. They'd probably have me locked up for just being related to the man. _

She sighed. Why did things have to be so complicated? She had gotten used to the fact of not having a father. Now that she had one, there proved to be problems. For one thing, she didn't even know the man. For another, he'd been sent to Azkaban for murder. And yet another thing, he'd escaped and the Ministry still hadn't caught him. How many years had it been now, seven, since he'd escaped? And for a time they'd even thought him dead, but no, he was still alive and at large.

Shaking her head she concentrated on the scenery rushing past out the train window. For a moment she felt like a kid again, sitting there in a black robe (muggle clothes underneath of course) a trunk at her feet and her midnight owl, who she'd named Death just to bother her mother back when she was in school, in a cage on the seat behind her.

There weren't as many first years so Marley was able to get a room on the train to herself. She was thankful for that, because it wasn't often that someone who wasn't attending classes at Hogwarts was on the train. She didn't want someone asking her too many questions as to why she was at Hogwarts. She herself wasn't totally sure.

_"Listen, things here at the Ministry have gotten very...busy. It's not that we...don't want you here right now, Miss Black, it's just that we have all the people we need working on certain projects. We feel...well the Malfoys will be able to handle their own mail for a bit...It's just best if you weren't here. What with the death of your mother and all, it will be good for you to have some time off." Cornelius Fudge said while wringing his hands. Marley frowned while he spoke to her feet._

_"So how long am I to stay home?"_

_"Well...we can't exactly say. But you'll continue to be paid. And...you won't exactly be staying at your house. It would be best if you stayed at Hogwarts...you shouldn't be alone at such a time. And Dumbledore said he was glad to have you there. We'll send you an owl when we need you to return." That said he left before she could complain._

She had gone home to pack and received a letter from Dumbledore that very night.

Miss Black,

I and the rest of the staff at Hogwarts are happy to have one of our best students back to visit. We have a private room ready for you in the Slytherin wing. You may be pleased to hear that Mr. Harry Potter, Ms. Hermione Granger, and Mr. Ronald Weasley are also staying at Hogwarts.

You may also be pleased to note that because you are our special guest, you and the others will have seats at the staff table. The Hogwarts Express leaves as it always has on September first. I trust you remember the platform.

Enclosed are your train ticket and a lemon drop. I do so love lemon drops.

-Albus Dumbledore

So now here she was, on the train to Hogwarts, but as a guest now instead of a student. To take her mind off things she thought of why Harry and his friends might be at Hogwarts as well. She knew for that Harry's parents were dead already (possibly because of her father) and she thought it unlikely that Hermione and Ron's mothers died too.

Then she remembered that Voldemort was still at large (had she ever really forgotten?). No doubt Harry and his friends were in danger. Everyone in the wizarding world knew Hogwarts was the safest place to be (besides Gringott's, but you couldn't very well lock the three of them in a vault).

Marley had never met Harry Potter, though she'd heard just as much about him as everyone else, and she'd been a year ahead of him in school. She felt bad for him actually, growing up in a muggle house as "the boy who lived" and not knowing anything about the wizard world that awaited him. All the publicity he got made it hard for him to lead a normal life.

Was anything normal anymore? Dark wizards were slowly taking over the Ministry of Magic, slowly moving into positions of power for the great return of Lord Voldemort. Half-bloods and Muggle-borns were in a worried frenzy, and many were sending their children to other wizarding schools such as Durmstrang and Beaxbatons. Marley herself did not know what to do. She was slowly tiring of the magical world, and began to use her magic less and less.

Perhaps it was because of the death of her mother and the fact that her father being magical had landed him in Azkaban. Voldemort was nothing but power hungry because of his magic and it seemed to Marley that magic did nothing but cause trouble. Sure it made things easier, like cooking and cleaning, but to her, it was no longer a necessity. Often she dreamed of moving to Paris, and living a full Muggle life.

_If you want that so much, why don't you just do it? What are you doing on a train to Hogwarts? _She asked herself. _Well for one, _she answered, _I get paid way too much money just to write and receive letters for Lucius and his son. Who wouldn't want an easy job with great pay? I make almost as much money as they do._

_Why else?_

_Well..._

_You're afraid to live without magic._

_Yeah, kinda. I mean, I've never heard of anyone else renouncing the wizard world to live as a muggle. Half the wizards and witches look down upon muggles. _

She was brought out of her thoughts when the train screeched to a halt. She grabbed her trunk with one hand and her owl with the other and quickly stepped off the train, grabbing a carriage and getting to the castle as quickly as possible. She did not want to be caught in the rush of students heading into the school.

Once inside the main hall she set her trunk and owl cage down and just stood there, memories flooding back to her. But she had no time for thought; she had to get out of the way before the students arrived, but where to go? _Twenty-one and back in school,_ she thought bitterly.

She heard footsteps coming from her left and was greeted with the sight of Dumbledore walking with Professor Snape. _Severus, _she reminded herself, _I'm not a student anymore, I can call him by his first name, or at least drop the professor. _

"Ah, Marley! I was just telling Severus how glad I was to have our top student back." Dumbledore said brightly, before clasping both Marley's hand in his own and shaking them slightly. Snape nodded, his usual emotionless expression plastered to his face. Marley managed a weak smile. Suddenly she wanted to be home very much.


	2. Glad to be Back?

Glad to be Back?

Marley Black sat at the staff table between Hermione Granger and Severus Snape feeling very awkward and very tired. On one side was a man who she had always wanted to get to know, for some strange reason, but never had. She found him attractive and intriguing, though she'd obviously kept that to herself, and for a good reason too; he was her teacher!

And on her other side was...well...a girl she really didn't know. Sure, Marley had heard a few things about her back when she was in school, and knew that she strived to be a top student, and had done so, for students in her year, but her record was a few marks shy of the one Marley held. She guessed that was the reason why Hermione was saying very little to her.

The first years were almost done being sorted and Marley couldn't help but smile when one was sorted into Ravenclaw. But this year, all the older students were more interested in why "the great Harry Potter" was sitting at the staff table, than who was being sorted into their houses. The clapping was definitely quiet this year.

Finally the last student, Vivia Linden was sorted into Hufflepuff and the food appeared. The Hall exploded with talk and Marley knew that all of it was about Harry. He and Ron were four seats away from her, so she'd not yet met them and as said before Hermione wasn't much for talking.

It had appeared that Snape was the same way until about halfway through the feast when he suddenly spoke while Marley picked at her food.

"Glad to be back?" His voice was the same as she'd remembered, silky and devoid of emotion. It barely even sounded like a question.

Marley made a small noise of surprise, for she'd been so intent on pushing her mashed potatoes all around her plate that she hadn't expected any comments in her direction, especially not one from Snape. He never seemed like one for small talk; not a word waster.

Marley bit her bottom lip, unsure of how to reply. She was still wondering why he was talking to her and why he had waited this long. She could tell him the truth; that she was not, in fact, glad to be back and wanted nothing more than a small cottage in the France countryside with a man to love and a muggle life. She could say that she was so depressed, for unknown reasons other than just her mother's death; that some days she dreamed of ending it all. But instead she replied with, "Yeah."

Her head was only somewhat turned to face Snape, for she was afraid that he might be able to read her expression if she faced him completely. He was too good at reading other's emotions and hiding his own. She thought perhaps she saw the smallest hint of a smirk at the corners of his mouth, but decided she was wrong. The only time Snape smiled was when one of his students was doing something wrong.

She went back to torturing her now cold potatoes, assuming her ex-teacher was done talking to her, but she was wrong.

"So you've gone on to work at the Ministry, as Dumbledore tells me. You showed much promise as a student, I expected you to do something more...helpful. What exactly do you do?"

Marley frowned. What _did_ she do? Handle mail for the Malfoys. Pathetic. She was nothing more than a secretary and might as well lead a muggle life, for her job was fitting enough. She laughed in her head, _Ah, but I'm not _just _a secretary. I'm also a..._

What was the right word? _Whore?_

_No, they have sex for money._

_Well you have it for free._

_I do not! I've not had sex with either of them._

_You keep working there much longer and you will. It wouldn't be so terrible._

_No, it wouldn't. Wait! What the bloody hell am I saying? _

_Better answer Snape's question before the feast is over. _

Marley sighed; tired of her mental battles with her inner self. Inner demon was more like.

"I work for Lucius and Draco Malfoy."

Snape raised an eyebrow. He was well aware, as were most, that the Malfoys practically ran the Ministry now. It was only a matter of time before Lucius weaseled his way into the position of Minister of Magic. "Didn't expect you to waste such talent on that lot."

Marley snorted. Talent? What talent did she have? Sure, she was as good at spells as the next, and perhaps better in potions and charms than most. But it made no difference. She got top marks because she was good at learning. That was about it. She'd lost her zest for magic and life itself. She had no talent.

Snape's eyebrow remained raised. "You do not agree with me?'

"Yes. No. I mean-"Marley stopped. "I don't know. Right now I'm not working at all and I'd prefer not to talk about my job."

Snape shrugged as if he hadn't cared either way and had just begun talking to hear his own velvety baritone. Marley frowned again, trying to think of something witty and mean to say, but found her brain was much too tired. Thankfully Dumbledore stood, announcing it was time for everyone to retreat to their rooms.

Not needing to be told twice, Marley disappeared, not wanting to stay and talk with Harry and his friends like the other teachers and some older students had chosen to do. She made her way through the halls, knowing exactly where to go, making her feel like she'd only just left the day before.

Her room was located across the hall from Snape's own room. She'd hoped to get a room in the Ravenclaw wing, but because there were three other guests, that was not possible. Dumbledore thought it best to place Harry in the Gryffindor wing, Ron in the Hufflepuff wing, and Hermione in the Ravenclaw wing. Thinking back on it, Marley realized that none of them would feel very comfortable in the Slytherin wing seeing as most of the student's parents were employed in service of the Dark Lord.

Shutting the big wooden door behind her she explored her new living space. She'd been given three rooms; a sitting room with a fireplace, many bookshelves (all filled), a large black leather chair and matching loveseat, a desk (with ink, parchment, and quills, of course) and a table near the loveseat. Branching off from that main room on the left was a bathroom with a tub large enough for three people, a sink almost big enough to be a tub, and a toilette. Marley had grown so used to using showers that she wished Hogwarts had them; would it be so bad to have more muggle-like rooms?

And the door on the right side of the sitting room was a bedroom. Her trunk and Death's cage (which was devoid of Death, for he'd gone out for his nightly hunt) were placed at the foot of the four poster bed, and other than a window, there was nothing else in the room.

Marley removed her robe, her clothes, and pulled an oversized grey t-shirt over her head before climbing under the covers and closing the curtains around her bed. She sighed deeply and tried to clear her mind, but memories of her previous days at work crept into her tired brain.

_"Here are some important documents that need to be signed. And a letter from you wife wondering when you're coming home." Marley said dryly, placing the pile of parchments on his desk. _

_He looked up at her with those devilish blue eyes and she shivered involuntarily. He placed his hands over hers, and though she tried to back up, he held on tight. _

_"Lucius." She whispered._

_He grinned and stood slightly, leaning over the desk. Before she could protest his lips were on hers. She closed her eyes as he playfully bit her bottom lip before suddenly releasing her and studying the papers on his desk. _

_She stood for a moment, clutching the side of his desk before realizing that she was no longer needed. Slowly she backed out of his office and closed the door, leaning her face against it for a moment. Why must he torture her so? Why did she never tell him to stop?_

_Before she turned around she heard an all too familiar voice and felt hands slither around her waist in a rather possessive manner. "Marley." He whispered into her ear, and she shivered against her will yet again._

_"Draco." She replied, trying to sound annoyed. She was, but in a pleasant way. _

_Slowly the younger Malfoy began to pull her backwards until his back was against the opposite wall. He began to nibble on her neck and suddenly she wondered why there was never anyone else around when the senior and junior Malfoy suddenly took romantic interest in her._

_She twisted around in his grip, in a weak attempt to peel herself away and immediately found his lips on hers. But instead of getting her lip nibbled she ended up engaged in a dueling of tongues. Draco was always competing with his father, though he was a bit more forcible. _

_Slowly she ran her hands through his hair, noting the difference to that of his father's. The elder Malfoy always kept his silky, silver-blonde locks tied neatly back with a dark blue ribbon, while the younger Malfoy preferred to keep his locks short and slicked back, same as he had in his days at Hogwarts. Though now, though still appearing the same, except taller, he was sporting the beginnings of a goatee and it was always hard for Marley not to laugh when she saw the dusting of white-blonde hair on the boys chin. _

_When Malfoy finally decided he was done (they were always the ones to be in charge), he broke away with the trademark grin and left, without a word, thinking he'd done a deal better than his father just had. _

_The two were always competing for her physical attention. They wanted her to chose one over the other. But she did not want to choose. And by choosing neither, she got them both._


	3. Meet Harry Potter

Meet Harry Potter

Marley awoke the next morning to a loud knocking on her door. She bolted upright, for a moment forgetting where she was, before stumbling sleepy-eyed to the door and whipping it open just to stop the banging. Her head hurt enough already.

Blinking due to the accursed sunlight streaming into her room thanks to all the bloody windows, she had to wait a moment for her eyes to focus. When they finally did she was faced with none other than Harry Potter. Suddenly she felt shy, wearing nothing but her night clothes, which weren't exactly modest, while Harry stood fully dressed and robed.

He smiled nervously. "You missed breakfast and Dumbledore suggested I bring you some." He held out a breakfast sandwich wrapped in a napkin and continued. "Also, you ran off last night before I had the chance to meet you. It's nice to know there are other folks who aren't enrolled or employed here visiting. I'm Harry."

He stuck out his other hand and swallowed nervously. He too was a bit shy, especially since this woman was standing in front of him in not much more than a silky tank top and matching shorts. He smiled, as the dark haired woman swept her mussy curls out of her face (she still looked great with bed-head) and stuck out a thin, rather pale arm. Her grey-violet eyes were only half open and the expression on her face led him to believe that she had only absorbed half of what he said. After a moment of shaking hands she spoke.

"Harry, of course you're Harry. I can tell by the scar." Indeed, the lightning bolt scar was where it always was; peeking out from under his mop of messy black hair. And as Marley introduced herself, "Marley Black!" she thought he looked as tired as she felt. Her remembrance of him was fuzzy, but she was sure he didn't look as pale and haggard as he did now, with thin limbs and dark circles beginning to form under his eyes.

Marley was still holding the sandwich and looked at it for a moment, hunger suddenly seizing her stomach, while an odd sensation overcame the rest of her body and for a split second she felt lightheaded.

"I'll...uh, be going now. It was nice meeting you." Harry mumbled, looking down at his feet. He was about to turn around when suddenly he asked, "Hey, we're having a picnic out by the lake for lunch, Ron, Hermione, and myself. Would you wanna join us?"

Marley stared at the younger boy, only a year younger, but younger none-the-less, and smiled sleepily. She wasn't much for socializing, and the thought of eating with Hermione (which she would have to do for the remainder of her stay because of the seating arrangements) did not exactly make her jump for joy, but she decided to give it a go anyways.

"Sure, need me to bring anything?"

Harry suddenly perked up, glad that she hadn't rejected his offer. He was hungry for friendship. Sure, he loved Ron and Hermione, but it was tiring to only have two people on your side when the rest of the world seemed filled with dark wizards ready to kill you. "Nah, we've got all the food we need. Dobby, the house elf, gave us three baskets full. Perhaps you could just bring an extra blanket."

"Right. See you at lunch. Outside. By the lake." Marley mumbled, for she'd already begun to eat her sandwich, not wanting it to get too cold.

It was a beautiful, warm, sunny September day, perfect for a picnic. Marley strode across the grounds, smiling when she saw the giant squid propelling itself across the surface, clutching an old blanket to her side. Harry and his friends were easy enough to spot, seeing as they were sitting under a large willow tree, all wearing robes, and they were the only others on the grounds since everyone else was eating lunch in the castle.

Marley suddenly felt awkward for not having worn her robes. She'd merely thrown on a pair of old ripped jeans and a plain blue t-shirt, and while Ron and Harry had muggle clothes on, they still had them under black robes. Hermione of course was dressed like a proper witch, in all deep red and gold robes, still flaunting her undying support for Gryffindor. Marley sighed and for a moment had the urge to run back inside.

But it was too late, they had spotted her. "Marley!" Harry called and waved. Ron waved too and even from a distance Marley could make out the scowl on Hermione's face. Marley noted the bushy hair and rather large front teeth; scowling certainly didn't improve things.

"Hey," She said, trying to make her smile convincing while she spread out the blanket. Ron and Hermione said their hellos (Ron's was clearly more friendly) as Harry moved some of the piles of food onto the new blanket.

They began to eat in silence, Marley sticking to sandwiches, for she wasn't very hungry. Hermione was the first to break the silence. "So you work in the Ministry do you?"

Marley wondered how she knew, and then decided she must have overheard herself and Snape talking the previous day. "Yes, I do."

"That's great," Ron sputtered through a mouthful of cake. He obviously didn't care to have dessert last. "My dad works there too and he's working on getting me a job. Doubt it will be anything big. Probably something in his department. But it's better than nothing; we need more wizards who don't support the Dark Lord. What do you do?"

Marley swallowed thickly. _I work for two of the Dark Lord's best supporters._ "I'm...I handle mail..." she trailed off, knowing Hermione would comment.

There was a smug grin from the beaver-toothed girl. Her eyebrows rose so high they disappeared into her bushy hair. "You handle mail? _How_ exciting! Well _I _just recently applied for a job here at Hogwarts after spending some time traveling. Dumbledore said I'll be new librarian by next year. I'm already helping out a lot now. And in fact, I have to be there to help some Hufflepuffs, so I'll catch you later, Ron and Harry."

And before anything could be said to her she huffed off. Marley frowned.

"Don't mind her, yeah?" Ron said, offering Marley some chocolate cake. "She's...well she's the same as she's always been. She tends to favour Gryffindor over all the other houses and she's sore that you were a better student than her."

Marley simply shrugged and ate the cake, while looking at Harry. He wasn't paying attention, and was staring into the depths of the Forbidden Forest. On impulse Marley laid back on the grass, staring up at the clouds in the sky. She pointed upwards, her arm wobbling slightly. "That one looks like Dumbledore."

That got Harry's attention. He looked up and squinted. "I don't see it."

"You're not at the right angle. You have to lay down." Marley wasn't sure why she was being so friendly, but she felt bad for Harry; so much had happened to him. She was depressed too, and knew how it felt. It was always nice when someone took your mind off things.

Harry did as he was told and Ron followed suit. The three of them took turns pointing out different clouds and what they thought they looked like. Marley even laughed a few times. It felt good. She hadn't laughed in years.

She awoke to a cold drop of rain splattering onto her cheek just below her right eye. Dazedly she put a hand over her face and took a deep breath of the now cooler air. Another rain drop met its doom on the back of her hand, causing her to sit up. When she'd done so, she saw that Harry and Ron were asleep on either side of her. All that cloud watching was so relaxing that they'd all dozed off.

Marley took a moment to wake up, realizing the sky was now dark, filled with black rain clouds, and there was a cold wind blowing. She cursed the temperamental weather as the rain began to fall harder. Harry and Ron were beginning to awake.

A rumbling of thunder was heard as the three rushed to gather up all their things while the pouring, freezing rain beat down on all of them. When everyone had grabbed everything, they raced across the castle grounds, slipping and sliding on the wet grass. Each of them fell at least once. But when they got into the entrance hall of Hogwarts they got a good look at each other; soaked and covered in mud, and it was just too much work to keep their laughter contained.

As they stood there, dripping and laughing, footsteps were heard and none other than Snape appeared wearing his usual black robes and scowl. He raised and eyebrow at the three adults behaving like first years. Of course it was Potter and his friend, but he hadn't expected Miss Black to be part of the ruckus.

"So, Potter, Weasley, out for a bit of mischief for old times sake? You're lucky I didn't mistake you as students, for surely you're behaving as such, and remove points from your houses."

They had all stopped laughing at the sight of Snape and at his comment, the smile quickly fled from Potter's face and he looked weak and tired as he once had before. Marley sighed. "We had a picnic for lunch, fell asleep watching clouds, and woke up to the pouring rain. In our rush to get back to the castle we slipped many times. We're all here to have some peace in our lives, and enjoy not having to work, so I don't see how laughing or having fun should cause you such disdain, Severus. Unless of course you're too old to remember what it's like to have fun?"

Marley hadn't mean to be so harsh, especially to a man she barely knew, and rather admired, but her stress as of late had been bottled up and slowly turned to anger. He just happened to be the unlucky victim. As soon as the words left her mouth (especially calling him Severus) she'd regretted them.

Snape was shocked to hear such a thing from such a girl-woman-but of course he showed no sign of his shock or that his feelings had been somewhat injured. True, he was usually the one to ruin any fun students were having, but no one had ever dared point that out. And it wasn't that he was too old to remember fun, he thought bitterly, it's that he'd never really had fun.

Still his resentment for the Potter family was deeply embedded in his veins and though he would not wish any irreparable harm on the boy, he could not find it in himself to be kind.

"Potter," He said, still using his old name, feeling much as though the boy-man-was still his student. "Dumbledore has given me the unfortunate task of finding you and bringing him to his office. You are here for safety reasons, and running off without warning hardly shows that you understand precisely the kind of danger you are in. And now that I have found you, I would like to complete my task and get on with my life. So if you would be so kind as to follow me."

Snape turned on his black-booted heel, robes and hair swirling, and strode off towards the Headmaster's office without so much as a backward glance. He knew the troublesome lad would follow him.

"Geeze, the git still acts as if you're his bloody student." Ron mumbled, gathering the soaked picnic things and heading off toward the Hufflepuff wing. Harry looked at her sadly, shrugged, and rushed off to catch up with Snape. Marley found herself alone in the hall, soaked, cold and feeling worse than before. Couldn't she just have one purely happy day?


	4. Letters

I'm still trying to get used to the whole, intro thing. So uh, stating again that I don't own these people except Marley and I don't want to. Blah blah. Yeah, in this chapter, Marley has some visions and Harry confesses just how much he's dealing with. Suicide mentioning, so don't read if you're that bloody sensitive.

Letters

The next day, Marley woke before breakfast with a splitting headache. She crawled out of bed, meaning to get to the bathroom for a drink of water, but found that just before she reached the door of her bedroom she fell painfully to her knees, cursing the stone floor of the old school.

Everything blurred for a moment, and she clutched at the door frame to keep from falling over as things began to spin out of control. Soon it appeared everything was covered in fog, and then the world went black, though Marley's eyes were still open and as far as she knew, she was still conscious.

And then the darkness receded and she found herself looking over Snape's shoulder. He was in his classroom, leaning over his desk, quill scratching across some parchment. Marley was confused as to what was happening, for she could not see or feel her body, but that confusion was thrust aside as she neared Snape and could read what he was writing.

Marley,

I am glad of your return to Hogwarts. I only wish I could say the same for you. You seem...unhappy, depressed. I've heard of your mother's death, and I'm sorry. I also want to apologize for being so harsh on Potter, Weasley, and yourself yesterday. It was wrong of me. And I have not in fact, forgotten what fun was like. I perhaps, have just not known it.

But that is all beside the point. I am writing because I cannot stop thinking of you. It sounds foolish, I know, for perhaps I do not know you well, or as well as I should. I'd often though of sending you an owl once you'd left the school to see if you needed assistance in finding a job to put such skills to work.

It seems I should have done that, for the Ministry is the last place I'd expect to find you.

But again, I wonder why you haunt my thoughts so often. Is it your beauty? Your intelligence? Your willingness to stand up to me, when clearly Potter and Weasley still cannot do such? Is it your aversion to the general public that I possesses as well? Or something else, like the hidden sadness behind your eyes? The secret longing for help, love, and a new life, perhaps?

I...

He stopped abruptly, crumbled up the parchment, and threw it into the dieing flames in the fireplace near him. As he stood and began to leave the room, all turned to black once more and then Marley found herself staring over a different shoulder. The shoulder of Lucius Malfoy.

My Lord,

All is moving along quite nicely. Plans are being made for Draco and myself to move up in office in the Ministry, and we are moving them along as quickly as we dare. We have thought of various ways to lure the Potter boy from Hogwarts and feel we have found the simplest way.

A student at the school tells me that Potter is finding himself quite attached to another visitor, a Miss Marley Black, who also happens to work for the Ministry. If things continue on the way they're going now, we shall have no problem in taking the boy. My son and I plan to visit the school in a few weeks time, after the boy has begun to sufficiently care for the girl, with the excuse of escorting the girl back to work, for she'd been given leave after the death of her mother.

We will instead kidnap her in the middle of the night . They will note that she's gone missing, and Potter, fool that he is will no doubt set off alone, or with that mud-blood girl and the Weasley boy, in search of her, and we'll have him then. Then you can finally dispose of the wretched boy and his friends and have the girl to do with what you like. I shall inform you as soon as we've left for Hogwarts to let you know how the plan is proceeding.

Your faithful servant,

Lucius Malfoy

And suddenly, before she could react, Marley was swept away to view another letter which was surprisingly being written by Dumbledore.

Minerva,

I fear for the health of Harry. He sleeps too much, eats too little, and is no longer as social as he once was. I fear his friends are absentmindedly straying from him due to his depression, though I am sure they do not mean to do so. However, it would seem that Harry has taken a liking to our other visitor, Marley. I think it is good that he make new friends (and I feel foolish for writing such a thing about a grown man, but to me he still seems a helpless boy).

It is most important that the bonds between Harry and his friends remain strong however, for if he loses them, I fear he will lose all hope. I will be writing to Sirius to have him here as soon as he can manage. That perhaps might cheer the boy some.

Also, I want Sirius to meet Marley, for she is his daughter, though he knows it not. I will not tell him in the letter however, because I think the state Harry is in will distress him enough.

Join me for tea in my office tonight?

Albus

And then all was gone, and her rooms returned to her with a flash of light. Marley's head screamed in pain and a wave of nausea rolled over her as she struggled to recall all that she'd just seen. She realized she'd had a vision, but all had happened so suddenly that now she could barely remembered what she'd seen.

_Snape was writing to me...something about sadness in my eyes, and working at the Ministry. And Lucius was writing to someone too. He mentioned Draco, Harry, and me, and coming to Hogwarts for a visit. And then there was Dumbledore and he was writing to...to Minerva...about...Oh why can't I remember?! What happened? Why would I suddenly have visions?_

Marley thought for a moment longer and then wondered about the strange feeling she had the day she met Harry when they shook hands. But why _her_? Why _now_? Why couldn't she _remember_!?

Dizzieness overcame her and she fell completely to the floor, her eyes unable to focus on anything. She felt the cool, rough stones against her cheek, and focused on that, causing some relief. She drew her breath slowly, trying to calm her body and it worked somewhat.

Behind her there was a sharp tapping noise on the window. Frowning, Marley slowly pushed herself to her knees and turned around. She saw, sitting on her windowsill, a snowy owl with a piece of parchment clamped in its beak.

Muttering a spell, Marley was able to open the window without having to crawl over to it, for she knew she wouldn't be able to just yet. The owl dropped the parchment and flew off. Marley wondered if it was from Snape, but then decided he probably wouldn't use a while owl.

Marley,

I know we've only just met, but I feel an odd sort of connection to you. I can't properly explain it, so I won't try. Maybe I'm just crazy. But I need someone to talk to, who isn't Ron or Hermione. It would be great if you could meet me by the lake after you've had breakfast. I'll be out there for a while, so no rush. If you don't want to come, I'll understand, but it would mean a lot if you did. Hope to see you later.

Harry

Marley nodded at the letter, and waited a few more moments before shuffling over to the bed to use it to help herself stand. Once she was on her feet, she felt a bit better, but dressed slowly anyways. She decided she did not feel like eating, and was doubting whether she could keep the food down anyways, so she merely headed out to the lake. Sure enough, Harry was under the willow tree, head down, looking as if he were asleep.

But when she was a few yards away, he looked up, with such a grieved expression that Marley nearly gasped. She quickly sat by his side. "What's wrong, Harry?"

He shrugged, suddenly shy. "Dunno. Just thinking about what Dumbledore said to me yesterday after our picnic. Stupid stuff."

"Well, what did he say? You did call me out here so you could talk to me."

Harry sighed heavily and suddenly all his thoughts just exploded from his mouth. "It was all about my safety, you know? About how I have to be careful wherever I go because Voldemort and his followers are everywhere. I can't do anything because I might be caught. I can't even have a bloody picnic near the lake with some friends without telling him where I am. I have to think of my safety; of the safety of my friends and everyone else.

"I can't even get close to anyone because Voldemort will just use them against me! I'm being forced to live my life in fear and I'm only twenty!

"Sometimes I'd love to just throw myself to Voldemort and end this whole bloody thing. Some days I don't think I can go on living. I have the razor in my hand, when I realize that I'm not like everyone else; I can't take the easy way out (At the mention of this, Marley absentmindedly massaged her own wrists).

"I have to kill Voldemort or else I surrender the wizarding and muggle worlds to his cruelty, So much rests on my scrawny shoulders that some days I can't even get up. I hate it. I HATE IT!"

He stopped and began to sob suddenly. She reached out and hugged him, holding him for pity's sake. He felt like a helpless child. And at that moment, Marley believed he was nothing more.


End file.
